Well, well, well. I think it's fair to say not many saw that one coming.
If you haven't heard, Conor McGregor was defeated by Nate Diaz in the early hours of this morning, following his step up to welterweight.
The Notorious went down in the second round of the bout through a submission, having been put under immense pressure by Diaz following a more promising opening round for the Dublin man.
As always, though, the Irish rallied around McGregor in support despite his defeat:
Didn't see that one coming....
— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) March 6, 2016
#UFC196 can't lie completely devastated, still @TheNotoriousMMA will always be number one for me! He'll be back, mark my words...
— Glen Roughead (@GlenRoughead) March 6, 2016
Great words from mcgregor there. Humble in victory and defeat. Spoken like a true champ.
— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) March 6, 2016
However, not everyone from Ireland was as disappointed, some were delighted he was defeated:
Delighted to hear that McGregor got his face kicked in!
— Eoin Fleming (@eoinf85) March 6, 2016
Conor McGregor and humble do not belong in the same sentence. Delighted someone finally dragged him down a peg or two!
— **eefs** (@aoifebambrick) March 6, 2016
The man who McGregor was supposed to face in the bout, Raphael Dos Anjos even had his say on the matter:
Soft!!!!
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) March 6, 2016
This is not feather weight
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) March 6, 2016
Meanwhile, Jose Aldo, who lost the UFC Featherweight Championship to McGregor at UFC 194, has been quick to call out The Notorious following the fight:
See ya at #UFC200, @TheNotoriousMMA. Your fairy tale is over. You got nowhere to run now. Time to a rematch, pussy. pic.twitter.com/67fmic8qxG
— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) March 6, 2016
In fairness to Conor McGregor, he was very humble in defeat when he spoke to Fox when the dust had settled. Although towards the end of the clip we see him respond to Aldo's call-out.
Conor McGregor on his loss to Nate Diaz: "I've been on the end of many defeats in my life and I've rose back. I will not shy away from it. I will not make excuses."
Posted by UFC on FOX on Sunday, 6 March 2016
McGregor vs Aldo II at UFC 200? Or maybe Frankie Edgar? It'll be interesting to see how he can bounce back from this defeat regardless.
UFC 196 coverage on Beat with EPT Carlow
